Governor Jeb Bush revives group to preserve policies

Governor revives group to preserve policies
By Brian E. Crowley
Friday, December 02, 2005


Jeb Bush will be forced to leave the Governor's Mansion after next year's election, but he has no intention of being forgotten or letting his policies drift into obscurity.
Bush is re-creating the Foundation for Florida's Future, an organization he formed after losing the 1994 governor's race to Democrat Lawton Chiles.
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Those closest to Bush say the foundation, at least for now, is exactly what Bush says it is — a way to keep pressure on lawmakers and the next governor.

"Gov. Bush's worst nightmare is waking up and finding out all his policies have been abandoned," said Cory Tilley, president of CoreMessage, a Tallahassee public relations firm.

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...Bush touts "our two most important initiatives — the A-Plus plan and Opportunity Scholarships."
They also have been his most controversial. The A-Plus plan assigns letter grades to public schools, based primarily on students' performance on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. "Opportunity Scholarships" is Bush's term for a voucher program that allows students in failing schools to go to private or parochial schools of their choice at public expense.
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State Rep. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, who will become House Democratic leader in November, said he applauds the governor's hard work and determination despite their disagreements on education issues. But he questions Bush's desire to retain a role after leaving office.

"At some point he is going to have to accept that he is not governor," Gelber said. "He can't be governor for life."

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Bush made it clear that he has every intention of doing that by using the foundation to make sure lawmakers don't try to peel back his education agenda during the 60-day legislative session next year. He also intends to have a voice in the governor's race.

At least one person who has watched him closely wouldn't rule out another run by Bush for governor in 2010 if he doesn't like what he sees in Tallahassee after he's gone, especially if a Democrat is the incumbent.